Media Release

8 December 2006

ANF urges national leadership in health reform

The Australian Nursing Federation (ANF) today urged the Australian Government to take a leadership role in national health reform following the release of the Representatives Standing Committee report on health funding.

ANF Federal Secretary Jill Iliffe said the report vindicates the position of many health care organisations that the Australian Government must take the lead in ending ‘the blame game’ currently plaguing health funding.

‘The ANF supports a national approach to health reform as the best way of dealing with cost shifting, buck passing, duplication and poor integration of care that is damaging our capacity to provide quality health care services in the community.’

Ms Iliffe said recommendations to review the Medical Benefits Schedule and additional funding for public dental health services are most welcome.

‘There is an urgent need to expand the range of health services available to the public by well qualified health professionals such as nurses. The only real barrier to this has come about as a result of serious lobbying from some medical groups.

‘The ANF has campaigned strongly for additional funding for public dental health services from the Australian Government. This area of public health is a national disgrace and it is time for the Australian Government to stop shifting the blame on this issue,’ Ms Iliffe said.

Ms Iliffe said the report failed to adequately tackle the crisis in the health workforce.

‘The workforce issue is not dealt with properly in this report. The emphasis in the report centres on funding for training in private facilities but what is urgently needed is a national health workforce strategy that promotes public investment. We need to seriously boost clinical training opportunities and university places for educating the next generation of nurses and other health care workers.’

Media inquiries
Jill Iliffe, Federal Secretary  0419 576 590
Ged Kearney, Assistant Federal Secretary 0417 053 322